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April 19, 2004
Patriotism and laws
In the days following the events of September 11th, the US Congress passed a bit of legislation better known as the Patriot Act. The act provided law enforcement a broad interpretation of it's power, hoping to allow the capture of any future terrorist in the country. Thankfully, this act was implemented only as a temporary measure, and is set to expire in the next year. Today, President Bush urged Congress to renew all parts of the Patriot Act with the reasoning that it enabled counter-terrorism groups to communicate. There lies the problem with this statement. The Patriot Act didn't really remove any legal barriers, rather it provided incentive for the counter-terrorism groups to begin discussions with each other. Effectively, it provided a means with which to remove the ego in each organization, a process that has now been utilized for almost three years.
The Sunday New York Times (no link because I hate the registration crap) printed an article this week asking if privacy advocates have forgotten that safety is also a right. An article well worth reading if you have an NYT registration, and an interesting question to ponder.
In the end though, I'd like to urge those of you of voting age in the US to write your senators demanding that the Patriot Act not be renewed. My reasons are my own, but I've provided a rather valid link that reviews the Patriot Act as a whole. Give it a read and really consider the implications that can occur with it. There are already numerous articles online discussing the demerits of it. Sorry to inject political punditry on this blog, but now is the time to act on this one.
Posted by Dan at April 19, 2004 08:59 PM